(Un)wise by Melissa Haag

Title: (Un)wise

Series: The Judgement of Six, book 3
Author:  Melissa Haag
Genre: Teen Fiction/Fantasy
Source: ARC copy given by author
Pages: 304
Rating: 5 stars!!!

Available at:

Goodreads • Amazon(.ca)

Release date:

November 27, 2013

Blurb (via goodreads):

The dreams start and Bethi’s very normal life goes down the toilet. Reliving past lives, where Dog-men chase her and she sees her eventual tormented death, Bethi sets out to find a way to live this time around. The dreams hint at an answer. She needs to be strong enough to find it, or die…

The third installment of the Judgement of the Six answers questions, questions answers, and risks the fate of the world

My Review:

Gahhhh! I hate Melissa Haag. No thats an absolute lie, I adore her, but if I read one more cliff hanger from her, I am going to die of anticipation!

Saying that, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I received the email from Melissa saying that her third book of the Judgement of Six series was coming out. I knew without a doubt in my mind that there was going to be a cliffhanger at the end, it kills me every time. You got me hooked Melissa Haag, you got me hooked. 

This is my fourth time reviewing for Melissa, and I must say, her books get better and better each time. If you look back at Hope(less) (click HERE to read that review) or (Mis)fortune (you can read that review HERE), you can really see that those books were really the foundation for this one... and the three others yet to come. Each book sets up the next, and slowly, but surely, you get to see more and more of the big picture that Melissa paints for you. The thing is, she does it so subtly that you don't even realize whats happening until you look back and think "oh... I see what you did there!". Honestly, at first I felt a little iffy about each book changing POVs, but Melissa has done it in such a unique and fun way that makes her story so much more alive and interesting that I can't even complain (an we all know how much of a complainer I am).

Now for some specific loves I had with (Un)wise: First and foremost, I was so happy to have this head strong character that wasn't really your classic heroine. She, unlike her previous two counterparts in the past 2 books, knew what she wanted and what she needed to do to get there. She was also the only girl who wasn't so hesitant about getting in her destined relationship... and it was about time! Next, and probably more importantly, as a reader, I finally got to see the puzzle coming together. You are given some crucial information about the girls and their abilities. You get to see more about the enemy, who they are (kind of) and what they want (vaguely). As I read it, a light bulb just went off over my head and I finally understood so much. I absolutely cannot WAIT until the next book to see what new puzzle pieces I can find. 

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass # 2) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight
Series: Throne of Glass (Book 2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Assassin
Source: Kindle edition
Rating: 5 STARS! (if I could give more I would!)

Available at:

Goodreads • Amazon • Chapters

Blurb (via Goodreads): After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate               confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

Review:
I can honestly say this may just be the best book I have ever read. Seriously. THATS how amazing this book was. this is DEFINITELY a must read, starting with book one, Throne of Glass which you can read my review on by clicking HERE , and all the prequels which are optional, but definitely worth reading.

Okay, to start off, the sequel kind of starts where the first book left off, Celaena is now the royal assassin and is "doing his bidding"... notice the quotation marks there... yeah, think about that for a second ;) Anyways, on a romantic level, Dorian wants her, but knows he can't really have her. And Chaol, well, things are just complicated.

Now getting away from specifics, the book was excellently written. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise if you have already read the first book of the series, and/ or the four prequels. The story line was consistent, yet constantly surprising and vague at the same time. Maas only gives you enough information to sustain you, and never really enough to put two and two together... although I will admit,  the revelation at the very end was a little predictable. The interactions between the different relationships were very realistic and believable, and everyone stayed to their character. I don't really know how I can express it more! The writing really draws you right into the book; you sit there and get to experience everything thats happening like you are in the book yourself. I don't have to tell you how rare of a gift that is to have.

The only issue, and I literally mean only, was that I really wanted her to see or somehow confront Arobynn, her old master, the King of Assassins. I really wanted to see how that interaction played out, and I REALLY hope that we get to see it in the third (final?) book of the series.

Imagine by Christiane Shoenhair

Title: Imagine
Series: Young Creator Trilogy Book 1
Author: Christiane Sheonhair & Liam McEvilly
Genre: Teen, Fantasy Fiction
Source: Free Copy for Review
Pages: 211 pages
Rating: 2.5 Starts

Avaliable Here:

Amazon

Blurb (via Amazon):

First: There was The Event, The Event that changed absolutely everything.
Then: There was nothing but confusion, heartbreak and pain
Now: All that’s left to do is save the world from darkness and protect her heart from splintering into a million pieces.

Trish is a regular seventeen year old girl, her life is rather boring and anything but out of the ordinary. Home schooled and living alone, with only her mother for company.
That is until The Event, the very next day she's shipped off to a boarding school in California, with no explanation as to why she is completely abandoned by the one person she thought would always be there for her. Trish finds herself angry, hurt and confused. Just as it seems that Trish starts leading a better life making friends and falling in love for the first time, everything changes.
Trish finds out what and who she really is, which causes her not to know who to trust. Thrown into one crazy situation after another Trish is fighting for survival and her heart.
Throw in Keagan the mysterious guy she is falling for and Sam who is there for her when she needs a shoulder to cry on , preparing for an epic battle between darkness and light, a prophecy that stems from The Old World, not knowing who she can and cannot trust and you get to go on a journey.

One you could never IMAGINE!

First: There was The Event, The Event that changed absolutely everything.
Then: There was nothing but confusion, heartbreak and pain
Now: All that’s left to do is save the world from darkness and protect her heart from splintering into a million pieces.

Trish is a regular seventeen year old girl, her life is rather boring and anything but out of the ordinary. Home schooled and living alone, with only her mother for company.
That is until The Event, the very next day she's shipped off to a boarding school in California, with no explanation as to why she is completely abandoned by the one person she thought would always be there for her. Trish finds herself angry, hurt and confused. Just as it seems that Trish starts leading a better life making friends and falling in love for the first time, everything changes.
Trish finds out what and who she really is, which causes her not to know who to trust. Thrown into one crazy situation after another Trish is fighting for survival and her heart.
Throw in Keagan the mysterious guy she is falling for and Sam who is there for her when she needs a shoulder to cry on , preparing for an epic battle between darkness and light, a prophecy that stems from The Old World, not knowing who she can and cannot trust and you get to go on a journey.

One you could never IMAGINE!

My Review:

When authors contact me to read their books for a review, I always feel a little overwhelmed. But, I hope that these people know that I will always be 100% honest in my opinion of their work.

Saying that, the reason that this book received a less-than-average score was mainly due to the fact that it was very unrealistic. Okay, yes I know it's a fantasy fiction book, so obviously it's not going to be very realistic in that sense, but I'm talking more about the interactions between characters and sometimes even the characters themselves. I had a hard time believing that a lot of things that happen throughout the book, *SPOILER ALERT* especially during the time that Trish was held captive on the island, but extending after that as well. To point out one point in particular, I didn't understand why Trish was upset when Porche told her that she and Keagan were engaged. Although Trish and Keagan have a thing at the beginning of the book, I don't think their relationship went on long enough to develop deep enough feelings to have someone consistently abuse you for days and still be able to care deeply for them. Especially for a teenager, because, as a teenager I can attest to how fickle we younger generations can be. But that is just an example.

There were a few other minor problems with the book: grammatical issues (mostly with regards to semicolons, but really, who CAN use those properly 100% of the time?), a lot of minor contradictions in conversation and the story, and a tendency to over describe/ explaine simple situations.

Now don't get me wrong, there was so much that I liked in the story as well. The plot line was really interesting and has a lot of potential. It needed some fine tuning, but all the ground work was laid out for you. There was a lot of creativity in the book as well. I absolutely LOVED how she titled the chapters. I also loved the whole concept of the Creators conjuring what they imagine... I wish!! But, what I really valued was the dystopian island Young Creators are brought to to control. I would have liked to see Trish there longer and see how that affected her character, and how it would pertain to her relationships with those around her. I found that whole the beginning was a little slow, the pace picks up about a quarter if the way in and gets way easier to manage.

The last point I want to point out is, as a mythology buff- especially in Greek mythology- the whole Artemis' descendants thing didn't make a whole lot of sense. Artemis is a virgin goddess, and by no means did she have children. I think this was the only point that I was actually upset about, everything else was mostly nit picky things. 

Overall, it was a great story and had great potential, but I felt that it was more of a first draft rather than a final product. With a little fine tuning and a lot more revising, I believe that this story could really be great.  

Book Butterfly

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Third and Final book of the Divergent series)

Title: Allegiant
Series: Divergent book 3 (final book)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Teen, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Kindle edition
Pages: 544
Rating: 4 Stars.

Available Here:

Goodreads • Amazon • Chapters

Book Blurb (via Goodreads):

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My Review:

I have other books to review that are actually more of a priority... but I just finished reading this book and.. I just had to say something.

Let me start off by telling you, if you are hoping for a happy ending, get that out of your mind right now. I mean the ending has its perks, but it has one major downer that can't and won't be shaken; it completely distracts you from the happish ending provided... that isn't so happy. I know, confusing. Since today is the first day its out, I really don't want to give too many spoilers though. 

On a better note, what did I love about this book? Well, first and foremost, the writing was phenomenal, as per typical Veronica Roth fashion. The plot line was engaging and interesting and always had me at the edge of my proverbial seat. All of the characters stayed true to their characters —and in one particular case a little too much *cries a little*—  while developing in new and better ways. I was really impressed with Tobias' (aka Four) character the most. At one point he is told to keep something a secret from Tris to protect her, and instead of keeping it a secret and the shit hitting the fan when she finds out, he tells her. I thought this was some serious character growth... what happens next, well, lets just say that the shit may or may not still hit the fan. 

I love and hate how the book ended. I love Tris' idea of how to resolve things, because in the Epilogue  it seems like it was a good idea in the long run, but the execution? Bullshit. There was a totally better way to write that ending without (WARNING... I am about to release the biggest spoiler of the entire book. This WILL ruin the book for you if you haven't read it. I repeat. THIS WILL RUIN YOUR OPINION OF THE BOOK IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT... proceed with caution! Or just skip to the last paragraph!) Tris totally did not have to die for the book to end. I actually thought she hadn't actually died until the Epilogue was over and her ashes had been spread... then I cried like a baby. I actually firmly believe that the book would have been better if she HADN'T died. Not cool, although I have to say, Veronica Roth has balls for killing off her main character. She's going to get ALOT of back lash for that, and none of it good. (END OF SPOILER)

Overall, I feel that the end of this series was too much like the Hunger Games. Started off strong but ended extremely political with a lot of unnecessary death. Although to give credit where credit is due, Roth did it better, and worse, all at the same time. I can't even— I have no words. I lied. I still don't know how I feel about the ending of this book... sigh... give me a few days and I'll get back to you.

Book Butterfly

SCHOOL TIME

    So, I have started my second year of University (WOOT WOOT), which also mean I have less time to read good books and blog about them. So, I'll probably only post once a week or so... probably on tuesdays or thursdays because I only have one class those days this term. ANYWAYS, wish me luck on this next chapter of my life!

Book Butterfly

Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin # 9) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Hear of Venom
Series: Elemental Assassin (Book 9)
Author: Jennifer Estep
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Assassin
Source: Kindle edition
Rating: 3 stars

                 Available at:
Goodreads • Amazon • Chapters

Blurb (via Goodreads):

When a terror from the past threatens Gin’s friend and body-disposer, Sophia, Gin will stop at nothing to protect her, even if it means walking straight into a killer’s trap. Meanwhile, the rocky romance between Gin and Owen reaches a turning point—can they reunite and rekindle their love? Or will the things Gin has been forced to do in her line of work as the deadly assassin the Spider keep them apart forever? Assuming, that is, she survives long enough to find out…

   
Review:
I previously wrote a review of the last book of this series which you can read HERE. I said this in my last review and I will say it again, if you have been reading the series you basically know  how the plot is going to go: badass bad guy threatens someone Gin cares about, Gin goes to kill bad guy, intense battle ensues, Gin barely survives but wins, Gin gets all healed up and back to normal via air magic. There you go, that is the plot right there. If are continuing to read this series it is for one reason and one reason only: you want to know what happens between Gin and Owen!

Don't lie, that's the only reason you've continued to read the series. After the third or fourth book, the plots become almost boring and repetitive. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely love Jennifer Estep and all of her books. She is a fantastic writer and she really knows her way around writing a battle scene, but this series could have been wrapped up two books ago.

For those who want to know what happens between Owen and Gin, well, I'm not going to ruin it, but there is a decision that is made between the two as to what happens next. Do they start seeing other people? Do they get back together? Is there a wedding in the near future? Has Owen told Gin that he just can't trust her, or maybe vise versa? Yeah, so not telling! You have to read the book to figure it out guys! ENJOY!

Immortal (Runes #2) by Ednah Walters

Title: Immortals
Series: Runes (Book 2)
Author: Ednah Walters
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal/Romance
Pages: 342 pages
Source: Kindle edition
Rating: 5 stars!

                      Available at:
Goodreads • Amazon • Chapters

Blub (via Goodreads):

Nothing can stop Raine Cooper when she wants something...
Raine finally knows that her gorgeous neighbor, Torin St. James, is a legend straight out of Norse mythology, and that her feelings for him are strong. Torin is crazy about Raine too, breaking the one rule he lives by: Never fall for a mortal. The problem is he no longer remembers her, his memories erased by Norns—Norse destiny deities—to punish her for defying them.

So Raine comes up with a plan...
She will make Torin forget his one rule a second time and fall in love with her all over again.
But she quickly learns that well-laid plans do not work when dealing with deities and supernatural beings. Desperate, Raine makes choices that could not only tear her and Torin further apart, but lead to the destruction of everything and everyone she loves

Book Review:
The sequel starts a bit after where Runes left off. Raine finally has her dad back and it couldn't have happened at a better time because Torin has no idea who Raine is, but she is determined to remind him.

I have to say, I thought the last book of this series was intricate? Well, book 2 blew me out of the water. Ednah puts so much thought and detail into the plots of her books that the reader has no idea what is coming! Of course, this also causes the disadvantage of frustrating the reader. Its no fun when you can't try and figure out the clues before the characters do. And if you are totally wrong and the author was misdirecting you the whole time, that's even better! It shows the sign that the author is a master at their art. Ednah Walters is ALMOST there with her writing. SOOOO close. She just needs to hint the readers in a LITTLE more.

But like I said, on a plot level, the story was amazing. Raine is busy with trying to get Torin to remember he loves her since the Norns erased his memories; she gets a vague message from said Norns telling her that she is the only person who can save her best friend Eirik from his 'dark side' and Raine needs to figure out who is Eirik really is and who is trying to turn him evil; she is being trained to become the Valkyrie she is supposedly destined to become while trying to figure out this new power inside of her that is able to change peoples fate; and to top it all off, the whole school thinks shes a witch. As you can see, a lot is happening in this book, and I applaud Ednah Walters ability to balance all the sub plots out while dealing with the main plot of who is trying to turn Eirik evil.

We also get to see the some major character development from the supposed 'bad Valkyries" in the first book, something I absolutely loved. You get to see the importance of a lot of supporting characters in this book and it brought out more depth in the book over all. Especially the importance of who Eirik really is (boy was THAT a shocker) and who the antagonist is (even MORE shocking!). I'll give it to you Ednah, you sure know how to spin a story, bravo! I eagerly a wait the next installment of the series!